Tiny houses in the backyard
Is there a boom coming in detached guest houses in Charlotte? 'I think it can get really, really big'
The following article appeared in the March 27, 2024, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Charlotte’s new development rules are making it easier to build guest houses or ‘in-law suites’ — even on small lots; ‘I had no idea I could do it’
An electrician carries conduit pipe behind a house on Scaleybark Road on a recent weekday morning.
by Tony Mecia
On a recent weekday morning, behind a house on Scaleybark Road in south Charlotte, an electrician is carrying a pipe to reroute some electrical wires.
On the 0.3-acre lot, behind a 2,500 s.f. house built in 1959, there’s a newly poured concrete slab. Is it for a patio? An outdoor entertainment center? An addition to the main house?
No, the backyard construction is something different — a two-story standalone structure that will be nearly 1,300 s.f. and have its own bathroom and kitchen. It’s part of what could be a new wave of residential construction made easier by Charlotte’s new development ordinance, which encourages variety in housing types — including small houses in existing backyards. They’re sometimes called “in-law suites” or “guest houses.”
The city and builders are still working through the new rules, and most homeowners don’t seem to know that building a separate small house is even a possibility. But with more people moving to Charlotte and needing places to live, the new option could make sense for homeowners who need spots for aging parents or adult children or who want rental income.
“I think it can get really, really big, and that’s because there’s a need,” said Jill Miller, a real estate agent with Helen Adams Realty. She is helping start a company focused on building such structures called ADUela. The company name is a play on the technical term for the small backyard houses, which are known as Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs.